NOVA | Doctors' Diaries | The Hippocratic Oath Today: Doctors' Responses | PBS The Hippocratic Oath Today: Doctors' Responses I prefer to think in terms of "a" Hippocratic Oath as opposed to "the" Hippocratic Oath, and in these terms I believe it is as relevant today as when the concept was initially introduced in classical times. The taking of a Hippocratic Oath occurs at a critical time in the development of physicians, setting the moment separate from the previous process and laying the groundwork for their future careers and their future care of patients. I do not see it as a legally binding oath, but as a sign of personal importance, commitment, and solemnity, just as when we mark the birth of our young, choose life's partners, and bury our dead. The exact wording we use to mark these events changes through time and through cultures, but the basic human emotions that these words wish to convey are universal: celebration, commitment, and mourning. Similarly, a Hippocratic Oath intends to convey our inner emotions and thoughts as we pass from one stage of our journey (medical school) to the next stages of training and providing care.

Whether we do this through the words of other times (the Hippocratic Oath) or through the words of our present times (modern iterations of a Hippocratic Oath), we are bonding with our fellow students in the moment, joining our mentors in the present, and recognizing our predecessors. Yes, I believe "a" Hippocratic Oath is relevant—for me in June of 1990 (when I took it), in March of 2001, and every day of my life in this profession in which I am honored to be a member. What is the essence of a Hippocratic Oath? Simple and echoed throughout time, whatever the words: "May I care for others as I would have them care for me." —Daniel G. Deschler, M.D., FACS The classical Hippocratic oath is at once largely irrelevant to medical practice while also grossly inadequate to express the duties that we owe to our patients.

Think of the key points from each of its eight paragraphs: Three paragraphs (1, 2, and 8) occupy themselves with the oath or the medical guild, including swearing to gods who are either not relevant or perhaps offensive to one's religion, proposing fee-splitting with your teacher as well as financial support to him or her or their progeny while passing on knowledge only to others in the guild, and again asking for reward or punishment for upholding or disregarding this oath. Little here relates the new physician to his or her patients. Another two paragraphs (5 and 6) are curios, promising to leave surgery to others (it used to be the barbers) and forswearing sex with your patients or their families. The first is wrong and outmoded, given that surgery has been a core skill in medicine for hundreds of years now, while the second hardly sets a sufficiently high moral standard for our profession. Only three paragraphs (3, 4, and 7) apply in any serious fashion to what most physicians and laypeople would expect to be the content of a solemn oath at medical school graduation. The first of these suggests giving good advice on diet and keeping patients from harm. The second prohibits both euthanasia and abortion.

The third promises patient confidentiality. Now, giving good dietary advice is certainly laudable, but it hardly expresses a comprehensive commitment to provide knowledgeable treatment of all sorts, without performing a sort of biblical exegesis. Keeping patients from harm, by contrast, is a critical concept to any relevant medical oath, as is the confidentiality of patient information. However, many physicians are fully supportive of abortions, and some physicians are sympathetic to aiding in euthanasia for terminally ill patients precisely to "keep them from harm." To summarize the operational part of the Hippocratic Oath, then, all physicians would swear to (1) give good dietary advice, (2) keep the patient from harm, and (3) maintain confidentiality; would probably swear (4) to abjure euthanasia; and might swear (5) to abjure abortion. The revised oath by Dr. Louis Lasagna, which I am reasonably sure we used at my Harvard Medical School graduation in 1969, contrasts sharply with the uninspiring curios of the [classical] Hippocratic Oath. Lasagna picked up on many of the major themes of our profession: Do positive good, not just keep from harm. Promote our knowledge and skills for the benefit of the patient.

Provide sound advice and guidance to the person and family, not just manipulate the diseased organ systems. Focus on prevention. His oath also specifically includes the important Hippocratic concepts of avoiding harm and keeping confidentiality. Lasagna's message comes dramatically closer to expressing the mission and complexity of our profession and offers the appropriate breadth and inspiration for the graduation of new physicians as well as for all of our personal renewal from time to time. His oath, or a version of it, is something I did and could swear to. As for the classical Hippocratic Oath, I'll think of it every time I am tempted to split fees with my teachers or sleep with my patients. —Steven R. Kanner, M.D., MSM Massachusetts General Hospital Weston Weston, Massachusetts I do not have strong feelings about the oath. I think it is an outstanding, profound declaration, especially considering when it was written. There are a few items that are not pertinent anymore, but I still like to see it included in med school graduation ceremonies, at least in the printed program. I graduated from med school (University of Minn.) in 1958. We had a small ceremony prior to the main graduation. There was a printed version somewhat similar to Louis Lasagna's PC version.

I don't remember if we recited it or not. I really doubt it, but I can't recall for certain. At any rate, it is nice as a tradition but probably more of a big deal to the lay public than to physicians. —Anonymous The longstanding guiding principle of health care is primum non nocere, first do no harm. While this was a logical guidepost for medicine in the ancient Greece of Hippocrates, it is clearly dated in a world where people recognize and accept risk driving automobiles, smoking cigarettes, skiing, bungee jumping, having cosmetic facelifts, and donating kidneys and portions of their liver and lungs to friends and relatives in need of organ transplants. Health-care providers are called upon to improve and maintain the health of our patients, a mission that has become increasingly complex as our knowledge of disease and our therapeutic armamentarium have grown. Given that surgeons' ministrations routinely include wounds we intentionally create, taken literally, my colleagues and I violate the Hippocratic concept of primum non nocere daily. Our society, founded on the Jeffersonian concept of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," has consonantly invested heavily in research and development of new knowledge and methods to prolong and enhance human life.

Our modern first principle of health policy and medical decision-making should be that patients should decide autonomously how they will be treated, provided their decisions do not potentially injure others. For the 15 percent of GDP that our healthcare system costs, providers should be able to deliver: 1) frank and meaningful advice with regard to risks and benefits of all reasonable treatment strategies, including no treatment at all; 2) effective treatments free of all needless risks; and 3) a continuing stream of innovative solutions to healthcare problems for which our present standard therapies are inadequate. I propose the creation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of a Center for Healthcare System Performance. The goals of this center would be to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of healthcare delivery. Quality would be measured based on the expected deliverables of our healthcare system, assuring: 1) patient autonomy, access, dignity, and convenience; 2) measurable, maximally beneficial treatment outcomes with minimal risk; and 3) a rational and efficient process of introducing new treatments. Intrinsic to the development of new therapies is the recognition that higher levels of risk and uncertainty are acceptable for treatments for problems for which present solutions are poor.

Conversely, new treatments for which standard therapies are highly effective should require rigorous documentation of safety. The Center would coordinate activities of the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and Healthcare Finance Administration to ensure their synergistic approach to maximizing the quality of American healthcare delivery. We should set the expectation to continue to lead the world with measurable achievement of goals analogous to our efforts in spaceflight and environmental preservation. Products and services that prolong and enhance life have obvious fundamental appeal. Instead of a timid, primum non nocere approach to our imperfect healthcare system, let us systematically improve its performance. Carpe diem. —Dr. Eric Rose Hippocratic oath | definition of Hippocratic oath by Medical dictionary Hippocratic oath | definition of Hippocratic oath by Medical dictionary relating to hippocrates . Hippocratic Oath a moral code for ethical conduct and practice in medicine, established according to the ideals of hippocrates .

The text is as follows: “I swear by Apollo the physician, by Aesculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment the following oath: To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and the instruction. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug, nor give advice which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art.

I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners (specialists in this art). In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.” Hip·po·crat·ic Oath (hip'ō-krat'ik ōth), An oath taken by physicians usually on receiving the doctoral degree, whereby they promise to observe ethical principles in the practice of medicine.

The oath is named for Hippocrates of Cos (470-380 bce), who belonged to the medical guild or brotherhood of sclepiads and is honored as the Father of Medicine because he first separated the art and science of medicine from philosophy and religion. But although the oath survives among the numerous and various writings composing the hippocratic corpus, modern scholars doubt that it was the work of Hippocrates himself. Its prohibition of suicide, euthanasia, abortion, and surgery (all of which were accepted or condoned among the Asclepiads) suggests rather a Pythagorean origin. The date of its composition and the original manner of its use are unknown.

I swear by Apollo the Physician, Asclepius, Hygeia, Panaceia, and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill this oath and this covenant according to my ability and judgment: To regard him who teaches me the art of medicine as equal to my parents; to share my life with him and, if he is in need, my sustenance; to regard his children as my brothers and to teach them this art, if they wish to learn it, without fee or covenant; to give instruction, written, oral, and practical, to my sons and the sons of my teacher, as well as to any students who have signed a covenant and sworn an oath according to the canons of our profession, but to no others. I will apply therapeutic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment, and will abstain from harm and wrongdoing. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone requesting it, nor will I recommend the use of such. Likewise I will not give a woman an abortive drug. I will live my life and practice my art in purity and in holiness.

I will not perform surgery, even on sufferers from stone, but will not interfere with those who engage in such work. Whatever houses I enter, I will do so for the benefit of the sick, refraining from all intentional wrongdoing and misconduct, particularly from sexual involvement with persons of either gender, whether free or slaves. I will not divulge anything of a private nature regarding people's personal lives that I see or hear, whether in the course of my professional activities or not, because I recognize the shamefulness of revealing such information. If I carry out this oath and do not break it, may I find satisfaction in life and the practice of my profession and may I deserve honor among men forever. If I violate it and swear falsely, may the opposite be my lot. Graduates of nearly all U.S. and Canadian medical schools recite, during commencement ceremonies, some form of pledge to observe ethical principles in the practice of medicine. But few institutions now use the original text of the hippocratic oath, and most graduates appear to regard the exercise as a mere formality or a bow to tradition rather than a legally or morally binding covenant.

Modern versions of the oath typically omit remnants of culturally extinct usages such as promising to teach the art of medicine to one's teachers' children without charge and to refrain from performing surgery. More significantly, most of them also omit the invocation of any deity, the mention of sacred duties or obligations and of penalties incurred for their violation, and the foreswearing of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, abortion, and sexual involvement with patients. In its decision in Roe et al. v. Wade (1973), The United States Supreme Court rejected the authority of the hippocratic oath in prohibiting abortion on the grounds that the oath did not reflect ancient cultural norms but rather owed its long preservation to the influence of Judeo-Christian views on abortion. The familiar precept, First, to do no harm (often quoted in Latin, "Primum non nocere"), is of unknown origin, but it is not part of the hippocratic oath. Hippocratic oath n. An oath of ethical professional behavior sworn by new physicians, attributed to Hippocrates but thought to have been written by a student or contemporary.

Hippocratic oath [hip′əkrat′ik] an oath, attributed to Hippocrates, that serves as an ethical guide for the medical profession. It may be incorporated into the graduation ceremonies of medical colleges and reads as follows: I swear by Apollo the physician, by Ӕsculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, and all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment the following Oath: To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and the instruction. I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug, nor give advice which may cause his death.

Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners (specialists in this art). In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot. See also Hippocrates .

The ethical compass for physicians, delineated in the 5th century BCE; while it has been attributed to Hippocrates, the ‘father of medicine’, and his school, the 'Oath' is of uncertain origin Hippocratic Oath The ethical guide for physicians, delineated in the 5th century BC; although it has been attributed to Hippocrates, the father of medicine and his school, the 'Oath' is of uncertain origin. See Code of Hammurabi. Hippocratic oath 'I swear by Apollo the physician, by Aesculapius, Hygeia and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, and all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and judgement the following Oath: To consider dear to as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and instructions.

I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and judgment and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor give advise which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. I will preserve the purity of my life and practice my art. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest, but will leave this operation to be done by practitioners of this art. Into whatever house where I come, I will enter only for the benefit of the sick, keeping myself far from all intentional mischief and corruption, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my practice or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spoken abroad, I will keep secret and not divulge.

If I keep this oath unviolated may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times, but should I trespass this oath, may the reverse be my lot' Hip·po·crat·ic Oath (hip'ō-krat'ik ōth) An oath taken by physicians about to enter the practice of their profession, which, although usually attributed to Hippocrates of Cos, is probably an ancient oath of the Asclepiads. Hippocratic oath An ethical code for doctors that has been observed, to varying degrees, since the times of ancient Greece. Contrary to popular belief doctors are not required to take the oath as part of their graduation ceremony. A modern version was drawn up by the World Medical Association in Geneva in 1948, the general terms of which are that the doctor pledges to serve humanity without consideration of race, religion or social standing, to respect his or her teachers, to practise conscientiously, to put the welfare of the patient before every other consideration, to keep patients' secrets and to maintain the best traditions of the profession. (Hippocrates of Cos, Greek physician, 460–367 BC).

Hippocrates, Hipocratic oath | definition of Hipocratic oath by Medical dictionary Hipocratic oath | definition of Hipocratic oath by Medical dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Hippocratic relating to hippocrates . Hippocratic Oath a moral code for ethical conduct and practice in medicine, established according to the ideals of hippocrates . The text is as follows: “I swear by Apollo the physician, by Aesculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment the following oath: To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and the instruction. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug, nor give advice which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners (specialists in this art). In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.” Hip·po·crat·ic Oath (hip'ō-krat'ik ōth), An oath taken by physicians usually on receiving the doctoral degree, whereby they promise to observe ethical principles in the practice of medicine. The oath is named for Hippocrates of Cos (470-380 bce), who belonged to the medical guild or brotherhood of sclepiads and is honored as the Father of Medicine because he first separated the art and science of medicine from philosophy and religion. But although the oath survives among the numerous and various writings composing the hippocratic corpus, modern scholars doubt that it was the work of Hippocrates himself. Its prohibition of suicide, euthanasia, abortion, and surgery (all of which were accepted or condoned among the Asclepiads) suggests rather a Pythagorean origin. The date of its composition and the original manner of its use are unknown.

I swear by Apollo the Physician, Asclepius, Hygeia, Panaceia, and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill this oath and this covenant according to my ability and judgment: To regard him who teaches me the art of medicine as equal to my parents; to share my life with him and, if he is in need, my sustenance; to regard his children as my brothers and to teach them this art, if they wish to learn it, without fee or covenant; to give instruction, written, oral, and practical, to my sons and the sons of my teacher, as well as to any students who have signed a covenant and sworn an oath according to the canons of our profession, but to no others. I will apply therapeutic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment, and will abstain from harm and wrongdoing. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone requesting it, nor will I recommend the use of such. Likewise I will not give a woman an abortive drug. I will live my life and practice my art in purity and in holiness.

I will not perform surgery, even on sufferers from stone, but will not interfere with those who engage in such work. Whatever houses I enter, I will do so for the benefit of the sick, refraining from all intentional wrongdoing and misconduct, particularly from sexual involvement with persons of either gender, whether free or slaves. I will not divulge anything of a private nature regarding people's personal lives that I see or hear, whether in the course of my professional activities or not, because I recognize the shamefulness of revealing such information. If I carry out this oath and do not break it, may I find satisfaction in life and the practice of my profession and may I deserve honor among men forever. If I violate it and swear falsely, may the opposite be my lot. Graduates of nearly all U.S. and Canadian medical schools recite, during commencement ceremonies, some form of pledge to observe ethical principles in the practice of medicine. But few institutions now use the original text of the hippocratic oath, and most graduates appear to regard the exercise as a mere formality or a bow to tradition rather than a legally or morally binding covenant.

Modern versions of the oath typically omit remnants of culturally extinct usages such as promising to teach the art of medicine to one's teachers' children without charge and to refrain from performing surgery. More significantly, most of them also omit the invocation of any deity, the mention of sacred duties or obligations and of penalties incurred for their violation, and the foreswearing of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, abortion, and sexual involvement with patients. In its decision in Roe et al. v. Wade (1973), The United States Supreme Court rejected the authority of the hippocratic oath in prohibiting abortion on the grounds that the oath did not reflect ancient cultural norms but rather owed its long preservation to the influence of Judeo-Christian views on abortion. The familiar precept, First, to do no harm (often quoted in Latin, "Primum non nocere"), is of unknown origin, but it is not part of the hippocratic oath. Hippocratic oath n. An oath of ethical professional behavior sworn by new physicians, attributed to Hippocrates but thought to have been written by a student or contemporary.

Hippocratic oath [hip′əkrat′ik] an oath, attributed to Hippocrates, that serves as an ethical guide for the medical profession. It may be incorporated into the graduation ceremonies of medical colleges and reads as follows: I swear by Apollo the physician, by Ӕsculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, and all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment the following Oath: To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and the instruction. I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug, nor give advice which may cause his death.

Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners (specialists in this art). In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot. See also Hippocrates .

The ethical compass for physicians, delineated in the 5th century BCE; while it has been attributed to Hippocrates, the ‘father of medicine’, and his school, the 'Oath' is of uncertain origin Hippocratic Oath The ethical guide for physicians, delineated in the 5th century BC; although it has been attributed to Hippocrates, the father of medicine and his school, the 'Oath' is of uncertain origin. See Code of Hammurabi. Hippocratic oath 'I swear by Apollo the physician, by Aesculapius, Hygeia and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, and all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and judgement the following Oath: To consider dear to as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and instructions.

I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and judgment and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor give advise which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. I will preserve the purity of my life and practice my art. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest, but will leave this operation to be done by practitioners of this art. Into whatever house where I come, I will enter only for the benefit of the sick, keeping myself far from all intentional mischief and corruption, and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my practice or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spoken abroad, I will keep secret and not divulge.

If I keep this oath unviolated may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times, but should I trespass this oath, may the reverse be my lot' Hip·po·crat·ic Oath (hip'ō-krat'ik ōth) An oath taken by physicians about to enter the practice of their profession, which, although usually attributed to Hippocrates of Cos, is probably an ancient oath of the Asclepiads. Hippocratic oath An ethical code for doctors that has been observed, to varying degrees, since the times of ancient Greece. Contrary to popular belief doctors are not required to take the oath as part of their graduation ceremony. A modern version was drawn up by the World Medical Association in Geneva in 1948, the general terms of which are that the doctor pledges to serve humanity without consideration of race, religion or social standing, to respect his or her teachers, to practise conscientiously, to put the welfare of the patient before every other consideration, to keep patients' secrets and to maintain the best traditions of the profession. (Hippocrates of Cos, Greek physician, 460–367 BC).

Hippocrates, NOVA - Official Website | The Hippocratic Oath Today NOVA Posted 03.27.01 NOVA The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history. Here you'll find classical and modern versions of the oath as well as a brief article that offers a sense of the controversial nature of the oath today. Follow links at the bottom of the page to post your own comment or read those of others. While Hippocrates, the so-called father of medicine, lived in the early 5th century B.C., the famous oath that bears his name emerged a century later. No one knows who first penned it. Enlarge Photo credit: Peter Paul Rubens/public domain The oath: Meaningless Relic or Invaluable Moral Guide? The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history. Written in antiquity, its principles are held sacred by doctors to this day: treat the sick to the best of one's ability, preserve patient privacy, teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation, and so on.

"The Oath of Hippocrates," holds the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics (1996 edition), "has remained in Western civilization as an expression of ideal conduct for the physician." Today, most graduating medical-school students swear to some form of the oath, usually a modernized version. Indeed, oath-taking in recent decades has risen to near uniformity, with just 24 percent of U.S. medical schools administering the oath in 1928 to nearly 100 percent today. Yet paradoxically, even as the modern oath's use has burgeoned, its content has tacked away from the classical oath's basic tenets. According to a 1993* survey of 150 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, for example, only 14 percent of modern oaths prohibit euthanasia, 11 percent hold convenant with a deity, 8 percent foreswear abortion, and a mere 3 percent forbid sexual contact with patients—all maxims held sacred in the classical version. The original calls for free tuition for medical students and for doctors never to "use the knife" (that is, conduct surgical procedures)—both obviously out of step with modern-day practice.

Perhaps most telling, while the classical oath calls for "the opposite" of pleasure and fame for those who transgress the oath, fewer than half of oaths taken today insist the taker be held accountable for keeping the pledge. Indeed, a growing number of physicians have come to feel that the Hippocratic Oath is inadequate to address the realities of a medical world that has witnessed huge scientific, economic, political, and social changes, a world of legalized abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and pestilences unheard of in Hippocrates' time. Some doctors have begun asking pointed questions regarding the oath's relevance: In an environment of increasing medical specialization, should physicians of such different stripes swear to a single oath? With governments and health-care organizations demanding patient information as never before, how can a doctor maintain a patient's privacy? Are physicians morally obligated to treat patients with such lethal new diseases as AIDS or the Ebola virus? Other physicians are taking broader aim. Some claim that the principles enshrined in the oath never constituted a shared core of moral values, that the oath's pagan origins and moral cast make it antithetical to beliefs held by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Others note that the classical Oath makes no mention of such contemporary issues as the ethics of experimentation, team care, or a doctor's societal or legal responsibilities. (Most modern oaths, in fact, are penalty-free, with no threat to potential transgressors of loss of practice or even of face.) With all this in mind, some doctors see oath-taking as little more than a pro-forma ritual with little value beyond that of upholding tradition. "The original oath is redolent of a convenant, a solemn and binding treaty," writes Dr. David Graham in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association (12/13/00). "By contrast, many modern oaths have a bland, generalized air of 'best wishes' about them, being near-meaningless formalities devoid of any influence on how medicine is truly practiced." Some physicians claim what they call the "Hypocritic Oath" should be radically modified or abandoned altogether. Below, see classical and modern versions of the oath. At the bottom of the page, you'll find links to pages where you can read comments by [doctors] and [non-doctors] and add your own. *Orr, R. D., N.

Pang, E. D. Pellegrino, and M. Siegler. 1997. "Use of the Hippocratic Oath: A Review of Twentieth-Century Practice and a Content Analysis of Oaths Administered in Medical Schools in the U.S. and Canada in 1993." The Journal of Clinical Ethics 8 (Winter): 377-388. Â Few medical schools today require students to recite the classical version of the oath.

Enlarge Photo credit: public domain Hippocratic Oath: Classical Version I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant: To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art—if they desire to learn it—without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else. I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy.

In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art. I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work. Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves. What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about. If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot. —Translation from the Greek by Ludwig Edelstein. From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation , by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

Â Just as medical textbooks have come a long way from Hippocrates' archaic writings, the modern versions of the oath veer far from the classical. Enlarge Photo credit: Aldus Manutius/public domain Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery. I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks.

But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm. If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help. —Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used in many medical schools today.

Editor's note: To add your own comment as a doctor or a non-doctor , and to read the comments of other doctors and non-doctors, go to the following pages, which appear on the original website for NOVA's program "Doctors' Diaries":

Question: The Hippocratic Oath is taken by what profession?
Answer: Doctors